Lynne M. Thomas, curator of Founders Memorial Library’s Rare Books and Special Collections, will be giving a talk titled “Jack London and his Fellow Radical Leaders” today.

The lecture is scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m. in Holmes Student Centerin room 505 as part of the Lifelong Learning Institute’s NIU Notables Brown Bag Lecture Series and as a part of The Big Read.

“Although London is best known now as a writer of adventure books like The Call of the Wild, much of his fictional and non-fictional output reflected his Socialist politics,” Thomas said.

“What [Thomas] is talking about is so much more than The Call of the Wild,” said Kathy Keyes, public relations coordinator for the DeKalb Public Library. “She’ll be talking about everything from his literary influences to his radical leanings, and those of his contemporaries.”

Tying in with this lecture is an exhibit currently on display in Rare Books and Special Collections.

“The exhibit and the talk examine the influences of his Socialist politics on his life and his work,” Thomas said.

“We’ve got 66 events [surrounding Jack London] throughout the month of October,” Keyes said